Doctors fear GP shortage is not being taken seriously

ALTHOUGH some local health boards have attempted to address the shortage problems by employing salaried GPs in parts of the valleys, doctors fear the problem is not being taken seriously by the NHS or the Welsh Assembly Government.

ALTHOUGH some local health boards have attempted to address the shortage problems by employing salaried GPs in parts of the valleys, doctors fear the problem is not being taken seriously by the NHS or the Welsh Assembly Government.

Official figures reveal 500 of Wales’ 1,936 GPs are now aged 55 and over.

Many of the doctors working in the most deprived parts of Wales were recruited from the Indian Subcontinent in the 1960s to address severe shortages.

Seven doctors aged over 70 are still working in Wales and the average age of retirement among GPs is 62.

It is anticipated about half of the GP workforce in Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Blaenau Gwent will retire in the next few years.

But Dr Phil Matthews, sub-dean for postgraduate medical and dental education in Wales, said general practice was still attractive to newly-qualified doctors.

“Our picture is one of a healthy interest in general practice in Wales and the country is viewed as a place where people want to train and work,” he said.

“But there are pockets where there are significant difficulties in recruitment - in some of the rural areas of Wales and in areas of deprivation in Glamorgan and Gwent Valleys.”

In a statement, the Assembly said: “We understand the concerns being expressed, but the factual position is that the outlook for GP recruitment in Wales is much better than in previous years. Areas such as Rhondda Cynon Taf are reporting large numbers of applicants for salaried GP vacancies.

“There are three LHB areas where the percentage of GPs aged over 55 exceeds 25 per cent, but even in these areas it is decreasing. However the Assembly Government and local NHS are alive to these issues and the challenges they bring.”